Kichi Codec
by BadLuckVixen13
Summary: After a tragic break up with his girlfriend of three years, Jacob Black finds himself in the spotlight of the acting world without a clue.Trying to get back to normal and forget-who's this random singer bashing her way into his wounded heart? JacobXOC AU
1. Revenge is Sweeter Than You Ever Were

The news was blaring something he knew wasn't true. After all, Bella wouldn't do that to him. She respected him enough to tell him the truth and loved him enough not to do that right? He'd left everything he'd ever known for her, alienated himself from his family, and moved miles away from home to be with her. She loved him enough to never do that to him didn't she?

Ironically, when he had these thoughts she would always appear just when he'd finally had the courage to ask her about it, do some research, follow her around when she supposedly got off from work early and "went out with her friends." It was always the same and he felt stupid looking back on it. When she came in the door, she ran to him, kissed his cheeks, and told him they were wrong. _It's just a rumor,_ she said. _Trust me, Jacob._

Fool him once, shame on her. Fool him fifty times and counting?...well shame doesn't quite cover it.

Needless to say, like a fool he believed her, he stood up for her despite every one's advising him and everyone's warnings and the big as day "YOU ARE BEING SCREWED OVER" signs that flashed in his daily life. To him, she was the one for him and he turned a blind eye to everything that would hinder his happiness with her. It wasn't at all odd that she came home smelling of a myriad of colognes and alcohol. It had probably been a mingling session that laded her that new contract... Right?

Isabella Swan was the one he dreamt of marrying almost every night and loved to wake up to in the morning. She was the one that he was desperately in love with so he took every excuse she gave him. It wasn't that far of a stretch that it was a rumor, there were plenty of rumors being spread around now that their fame was growing. After all they were stars in their own right, she being a famous actress, and him being a rising model, meant that the public wanted to know more than the basic "I'm from Washington" spiel.

Leaving the Reservation had been kind to him when he moved to Los Angeles a few years prior and then to Hollywood with his girlfriend Bella. Though he left his family, his people, his entire way of life behind and almost never went home to visit, instead always going to visit her parents during the holidays...he was happy.

He hadn't gone to see his mother's grave in three years, hadn't seen his father in three years, and barely had any contact with home, but it was worth it to see Bella happy, in his arms, in his bed, every day. Wasn't it?

He'd lead a simple life before meeting Bella at Forks High School. Isabella Swan who was heading for the stars, said he should come with her and he did. He finished school early at Washington State and graduated as an Engineering major specializing in auto mechanics. The model, actor, and lyricists positions he played were for now and in his spare time he managed to tinker on and upgrade his rebuilt motorcycle. He'd been the quiet, intelligent one and she'd been popular. Over time there had always been something about her that made him feel the need to protect and take care of her. A sort of frailty behind that monotone voice and pretty face.

Once out of high school, Bella headed to Hollywood to become an actor, why he never figured out, but followed her. Ever since her debut after nearly six months of drama training and auditions for parts, Bella got a taste of fame. It didn't help that being around her made him sort of infamous and thrust him into the word of glitz and glam. He'd only meant to be a fill in that one time and within a week he'd become a sensation for men's fashion, offered a role, and someone found out that he knew how to compose music. From that moment, he stepped into fame and she followed, their lives were never the same.

To the paparazzi, their penthouse was the center of attention. There wasn't a day in his life that he didn't go outside and accosted by the flashing lights asking for confirmation and denial of the latest rumors and requests for interviews. There wasn't a day that he answered them or his own questions. Jacob Black was the senator of Denial.

It was late and the final scenes of _Phantom_, his latest movie, had been completed. He was officially off the clock the moment he climbed into the car. He sighed as his driver stopped at the building he'd called home since they'd moved from the small apartment and his manager, Leah Clearwater, gave him one of her stern smiles. They'd been friends since they were kids, having grown up on the Reservation together. She'd moved before he met Bella and as fate would have it they were reunited through his agency. They had never been separated since.

"Alright Jake," she said palming through her Blackberry. "Looks like you've cleared up your schedule pretty early today. Be happy."

He scoffed looking up into the starry night and sighing, "Early… yeah. Eleven o'clock at night is early alright."

"That filming was supposed to last until midnight. Be glad that you don't ever take that many retakes."

He grinned and nodded, "Night Leah, get home to that boyfriend of yours safely huh?"

She grinned, "As if I have a choice."

Getting out of the car, he felt something off. He waded through the crowd of paparazzi in the lobby and forced his way towards the door, smiling and waving all the way. Something about Bella, Edward, stairs...eh, it didn't matter.

It was just rumors...right? He smiled to hide the doubt as the mayor of practical in him, the one he'd locked up a long time ago, banged on steel bars and screamed "LISTEN, YOU DUMBASS!"

He ignored it, stepping into the elevator. Bella was home, and he couldn't wait to get showered, eat, and crawl into bed with her. He'd been waiting for it all day, while he was to tired to do anything really physical he was always happy to see her. The familiar ding alerted him to reaching the top floor and he headed towards his door a gold "13" over the peephole. That nauseous feeling was coming back again, Mayor Practical and his accomplice Instinct, rattled their cages and flailed around in his mind. The doorknob felt like it was burning and he considered turning around and going somewhere else for a while as he unlocked the door.

The space was filled with a vaguely familiar sound to him. Bella's voice… in pleasure. Though it had been nearly three months since the last time he'd heard it, he was sure that was what it was...Was she waiting for him?

Mayor Practical gave up and unlocked the cage of common sense as her voice cried out, "Oh god, faster Edward! Faster!"

_WHAT DO YOU THINK DUMB ASS?_

He caught a glimpse of them around the corner, up against the wall of the hallway and pulled back from the sight, trying to feel his breath again. It wasn't a rumor and she'd had every chance to the truth, he'd asked once and never asked again. They'd been out to dinner, been at home, the news blared the gossip for the last few months and there was nothing. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that she was cheating, cheating with him, or disrespected him enough to do it in their home where he paid for the penthouse and provided for her that pissed him off the most. There was someone else waking up in the darkness, the space between who he had been and who he'd become since being with Bella.

Maybe it was a combination of all three because he knew the storm of agony and depression would come, but it wouldn't come until this wave of rage subsided. Rage, hadn't felt this in a while, coupled with Mayor Practical, Instinct, and the dark thought taking shape under a presidential top hat vaguely resembling Abraham Lincoln, it felt alien. With it came every questions and doubt he'd ever stuffed into that dark space, the thoughts that were taking form as that tiny wounded wolf cub, whimpering in agony and terror as the rage took shape.

He shuddered at the thought of what else she'd done, how many times she'd gone to bed with Edward in the bed that they shared, how many times they'd defiled his penthouse with their betrayal and laughed behind his back. How many other partners she's had since they arrived? It was a little odd that she was pretty much talentless and yet she was offered a pretty big role a few weeks after getting out of acting training and that director had a reputation for taking favors. What about all the times that she'd gone out and hadn't come back home until early morning? Or when she was supposedly at home but he couldn't reach her? All the times she avoided his touch? All the times he'd been able to touch her...she'd been faking hadn't she? Was there a moment in their entire relationship that was real? When they met in high school, through college, why on earth did he allow her to talk her into doing all her homework for her while she went out for some "theatre" 'd been used the entire relationship and hadn't even known it.

The person he was faded into the small whimpers of the puppy. His heart was hurt and he let the newly formed figure of rage take over.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Was the only thing he said and Edward stopped mid thrust to look over at him. Bella's face was one of guilt, shock, and fear. Jacob's newly elected, President Fucktonia couldn't say that he understood why. She apparently didn't feel guilty enough to stop, or fearful enough to do it somewhere else, or even shocked enough to say something more than his name in that small voice that she used to guilt the Puppy Jacob into things.

"Jacob…"

"Isabella," he replied and put his laptop case on the ground beside him meeting her eyes. "I'm home."

He was a little surprised that he was so calm, taking sure and slow steps towards the pair. Edward stared up at his tall frame and swallowed hard, as Bella clung to him a bit tighter. Jacob knew the paparazzi had followed him to the floor and were probably outside the window. Even more than that they were still in that same position, with Edward still inside her and her body twisted around him.

"J-Jacob I can explain…"

"That you fell on his dick?" Jacob asked with that snarky tone that he'd forgotten he had maybe President Fucktonia was a good thing. He hadn't felt this good in a long time, finally getting a chance to speak his mind...

"Tell me Isabella, how many others were there Isabella? Because really, I doubt Edward's just the one. Was I not good enough or do you just like the taste of the forbidden? I never pegged for a thrill seeker or a cheater, but I can see I was wrong."

"Jacob… I can explain…"

"You probably can't explain it in a way that will make me any less angry," he said stopping in front of them and grabbing Edward's arm as well as Bella. She slid off Edward with a shudder and their protests fell on deaf ears.

There was a part of him that wanted to let them pick up their clothes before he threw them out, that was the puppy Jacob. The President Fucktonia, Jacob said "fuck 'em" and proceeded to drag them out of his hallway and towards his front door.

"Hey!"

"You want to fuck him, then fuck him somewhere else. I'm not your doormat anymore."

He dragged them both, protesting, screaming towards the front door and threw them into the paparazzi ridden hallway with a straight face and closed the door in their faces as the flash of the camera went off in their faces and a million questions about the situation were thrown at them. He heard Bella calling out for his help when he closed the door and slid to the ground. There was nothing he could do, absolutely nothing. Nothing she could do, even if he explained it until she was blue in the face. She'd betrayed him in the worst way. His eyes turned away from the defiled hallway and the wall they'd been fucking on.

His anger boiled in his brain and left him speechless. He couldn't find the words to explain it. Jacob Black, for the first time in a long time, called Leah's private number. The phone she used strictly for personal matters. Her voice was warm and worried when she picked up the phone. She set down the pot she was stirring as Paul came up behind her and groped her, pressing p against her. Jacob never called this number.

"Jake? Are you there? What's the matter?"

Leah pushed Paul back a bit, fending off his attempts to taste what she was cooking and molest her all at once. He swallowed again as the tears started rushing and held in the sobbing as the door locked automatically and he reset the pass code, trying to find the words. Even if the President was in control, that didn't mean underneath all the rage there wasn't pain leaking out of his eyes. He'd never felt so stupid in his entire life.

"Isabella was cheating on me… I just walked in on her and Edward fucking in the hallway of my penthouse."

There was silence, "I'm on my way."

Leah evaded Paul's hands and hurried towards their bedroom to find her clothing thrown around the bedroom. She was hopping into her underwear and wriggling into her jeans when Jacob continued to talk.

"Could you… stay on the line until you get here?"

"Of course," she replied buckling her bra and slipping on her dress shirt.

Grabbing her keys, and stepping into some flats, Leah hopped in her Land Rover, kissed Paul goodbye, and streaked across town towards Jacob's building where the paparazzi swarmed the naked couple and chased them into the elevator. Jacob hadn't said much while she was driving, but she could hear the sobbing over the line.

"I'm so mad right now, I can't even find the words… Leah please…tell me what to do…"

She parked in the underground parking lot and sighed, grabbing her phone as it went off with a billion alerts about Jacob's name in the news scanners.

"You're going to go into the bathroom and wash your face with cold water. Your eyes are probably all puffy now and we need to make a statement while they are still there."

He sniffled and headed towards the bathroom, ignoring Bella and Edward's pleading on the other side. Relieved to have someone else deal with the situation at the moment, for all his valiant actions, he was still the puppy that followed Bella around helplessly lost without her. He washed his face and tried to take comfort in the prose of the situation. He found out before it was too late and there was a part of him that was sensible enough to function. President Fucktonia was comforted by the fact that they were probably having one hell of a nude photo-op and that made him the default persona until the high of the situation simmered down.

"Does my code still work?"

"Yeah, and the key."

With that she hopped into the elevator and arrived on the top floor with Isabella and Edward trying to save face with lies and story telling while banging on the door.

"Alright, everyone move out of the way!" She yelled over the noise and pushed her way to the door. She walked in without a glance in their direction and closed the door behind her. There was a good chance that they wouldn't get any answers until it settled down.

"Jake?" She called through the house. "Where are you?"

He appeared through the hallway, scrubbing his face with a washcloth and looked at her. He hugged her tightly, breathing in a bit before she spoke. In their relationship there would be a time in the far future that she could say "I told you so." But for right now, he needed to be held.

"Is their clothing still here?"

He nodded and she steered him into a seat, marching towards the door, she stepped out and pulled the pair back in before closing the door in the paparazzi's faces. Jacob didn't even bother looking up from the hole he was staring into his floor. She didn't expect him to say much as she left them there and the two looked sheepish. In her opinion it wasn't right to yell at naked people, the paparazzi had probably shamed them enough. Isabella was on her way down from fame…and Leah couldn't wait to see her bow out. She returned from the trip to the bedroom with clothing, something random that she found on the floor and threw it at the pair as she took a seat on the couch Jacob refused to sit on. His large figure was stationed on the floor, staring holes into the floor.

"Now that you're no longer naked, get the hell out." Leah said.

"B-But I live here!" Bella protested, pulling on her clothes.

"Not anymore you don't."

"Half the things in here are mine!"

"No they aren't, this is Jacob's home. The lease is in his name alone, no one else's remember?"

"J-Jake you wouldn't throw me out would you? Where am I supposed to go? Can't we talk about this?"

Jacob was silent and Leah looked over at him. His lips were sealed in a firm line that she knew well, his anger was getting to a pitch and he was glaring even harder into the carpet, trying to regain control of his emotions. Had he not taken so many martial arts as a kid and been in so many things, she couldn't say what Jacob would have done with all his pent up anger.

"Pl-Please Jacob? I know I messed up but… I never expected it to go on so long…"

"…When I asked you the first time," she swallowed nervously. "Were you sleeping with him then?"

She looked down that had been six months prior to the present.

"Yes, but I hadn't ,meant to keep going. It was just…"

"Better?" He asked, softly. "Better than what I could give you?"

She was silent at that. Trying to make him hate Edward and not her wasn't going to work apparently. She hadn't expected to be ousted this way. Jacob was her security blanket and stepping stone to fame. Living with him had made her a better actor and she enjoyed his affection. They'd been together for three years and he had been more than gentle with her. When she wanted to stop he would and there were time that she questioned his desire for her. She hadn't wanted to tell him that she'd been sleeping around long before their first time together.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Jacob asked again. "Then again I don't care. Get out of my house."

"What? But I live here!"

"Not anymore, get the hell out, maybe I'll consider a time when you can come pick your stuff up." He rose to his feet and walked to the kitchen without another word. Leah was impressed.

"But Jacob, I love—"

"You get ten seconds to get out before I call the cops."

She looked like she was about to cry but Edward was already out the door, the paparazzi swarmed them as they marched to the elevator and out of the building. Leah looked up at him a he came back with a gigantic bowl of frosted flakes and took a seat on the floor. Jacob's feel better position had to be one of the most interesting things ever with the remote control in hand and a gigantic bowl of his favorite cereal in front of him.

"Jake?"

"Leah, I need you to make a list."

She blinked and took out her manager phone.

"I need a doctor's appointment for sometime this week, a mover, and a place to send everything in this penthouse and I need new furniture. I'm gonna need boxes and call Seth, I don't think I'll be able to pack this shit up without the urge to burn it and the entire penthouse with it. "

Leah smiled and nodded despite herself as he turned on the T.V. and kicked the couch across from Leah towards the kitchen to get a better spot in front of the T.V. where the scandal was being reported on Channel 5.

"That's right people, after months of rumors and gossip, it is official. Isabella Swan fast rising newcomer into the acting world is sleeping with Edward Cullen behind her boyfriend's back. These photos were captured earlier this evening when after a long day of filming, Jacob Black arrives to his penthouse home where he and Isabella have been living to catch the pair in action and throw them out, apparently mid-orgasm."

The picture of Bella and Edward being thrown out the door by Jacob's towering figure faded into the background and Leah laughed at their expressions. Dumb asses. Leah almost smiled in glee as he watched the new and switched over to the sports program after they announced the desire for a statement from him and the recording of Isabella and Edward leaving the building faded.

She smiled and kissed his cheek when she was sure he was okay.

"Please don't sleep on the floor, okay?" That last thing they needed was for him to be stiff for his assignments tomorrow.

"I won't, but I'm not sleeping here either."

He packed an overnight bag and escaped the building to the Eclipse Agency headquarters. He had some paperwork to do and he didn't mind working in his anger. There were a lot of things he needed to get done after all. He set the bag down and collapsed into the small cot in his office and turned over to sleep. For the next few days, the buzz about the break up was everywhere. His sisters called, his friends had bugged him, and more than anything he just wanted it over. Turns out the Isabella and Edward had lost a lot of fans and publicity because of the incident and were issuing a statement later that week. It didn't matter, there was nothing that could save them and they'd find out when they were no one.

"Jake, if you're listening. I'm sorry."

He shrugged off the public apology and going anywhere near her side of the building. He just didn't care. President Fucktonia and the Puppy weren't interested in it at all but were rebuilding the crumbling walls of his sanity with the knowledge of the relationship. He was on auto-pilot otherwise known as "desperately trying to be distracted." The next few weeks were spent in a haze of apathy and work, on Friday, everything had been moved out and his entire penthouse had been scrubbed and cleaned, his doctor appointment went smoothly and the results would be in by the following week. His new furniture was arriving that afternoon and he was there to help bring everything up and tipped the mover guys generously.

After his new home had been set up in all its new sexiness, Isabella had shown up on his doorstep and he opened the door, sweaty and half naked from setting up his new bed frame and dresser. He looked down at her and her eyes were staring, staring right through him. It almost made him want to cry, almost. Glad he bought a lot of really fluffy pillows and that ridiculously huge bed, he'd need something to curl up on and cry later, if it ever came to mind. President of Fucktonia gave Puppy Jacob ten minutes after she left to burst into tears... He was counting on five give or take a minute depending on how much stuff he could find to keep himself busy.

"Ja-Jake, I… I've been calling you—"

"I changed my number." He replied, "Is there a reason that you're here?"

Seeing the lack of caring in his eyes, all protests died in her throat. "I came to pick up my things."

"Good, stay here." He closed the door and went back to where Seth, Leah's little brother, had stacked all of Bella's belongings in her suitcases and things on a cart so he woudn't have to touch them.

He wheeled it into the hallway and watched her struggle to push it towards the elevator. From that moment on, she'd tried to speak to him and she didn't exist to him. He avoided all contracts with Isabella and Edward and kept him in the clear until the press conference she'd scheduled to clear up the issue.

"Sorry it's taken a while, a lot of things have happened in the world of Jacob Black," Leah introduced as Jacob took a seat beside her with a sigh. Isabella and Edward arrived a bit later and took the seats on the other side of Leah with their managers as a buffer between the two sides. Heaven forbid the dark side of Jacob be let loose and President of Fucktonia rearrange Edward's face. What right did they have to look so content and pleased, sitting side by side and holding hands.

"It's nice to have you all together to clear this matter up, now please realize this is not a hounding session but merely one for clarity."

The questions started off to Isabella and Edward. Is it true? How long had it been going on? How did it start? Why not just break it off with Jacob?

Answers he needed to hear. Her eyes stared and stared right through him when she looked over at him and he realized that every "I love you" hadn't meant a thing to her. She didn't even care, holding hands with Edward on national television. Her eyes held no recognition even though she was right there. His heart clenched hearing the truth and damned if it didn't hurt more than he ever imagined. She'd given up on him long before Edward, by her tone, to be with everyone else, to be with anyone else than him. She couldn't fucking tell him that he was just a security blanket that would always be there. No, he wasn't anything but a stepping stone for her. She needed him for as long as possible and now...He didn't know.

"How do you feel about this Jacob?"

He blinked for a moment, trying to find the words in between the whimpering puppy and raving President...he needed Isabella to hear it from his heart.

"When I walked in to see them… there was a part of me that wanted to punch through a wall or two… I was so angry that I couldn't- I couldn't think and whatever I said at the moment is something I still don't remember… except for the _What the hell is wrong with you?_"

There was a laughter as a painful smile spread on his face and those pearly whites came through. Leah looked at him with softened eyes as he breathed in.

"But looking back at our relationship, I want to punch myself for being so naive and believing, trusting. I mean the signs were as obvious as the sun, but I kept ignoring it. My friends, family, and the world was screaming that this was wrong and I just pushed it all away...so caught up in our relationship that I couldn't see the flaws. I can't blame just them...However, I will say that there isn't anything I regret. While she may not have loved me or respected me enough to be honest with me, I was with her and I can't regret anything, but surrendering and becoming a doormat. Through everything I've done for her, moving here away from my home in Washington, helping her, boosting her career and having it all thrown in my face like this… having my heart crushed an betrayed after I've done nothing less than love, care, and support her...Giving up everything I'd ever known-"

He scoffed, his voice cracking under the pressure and the room was silent as the sting of his tears filled his senses. He breathed out and turned to look Isabella directly in the eye. "I'm done... I wish the best of luck to you and I don't ever want to speak to you again."

Without another word or glance in their direction, he got up from his seat and walked off. There was nothing else to say. Isabella was crying and he didn't care. He was done and he'd never do that again. He slid on sunglasses, changed clothes into something comfortable and headed out of the place on foot. He needed to get out of there if it killed him and it probably would. He was about ten feet away from the hall before he broke into a run. He didn't know where he was running to but the streets looked familiar, comforting almost as signs and people flew past him and he wanted to scream and he did, running up twenty flights of stairs to get to his penthouse, the door slammed shut behind him and he screamed.


	2. Faded

He went to the doctor's office and with a relieved heart, he was still clean. He decided to head to work that day with a bit of a pep in his step. According Paul, Sam, Embry, and anyone else that cared about him, he's faded off somewhere since being with Bella and while his original Jacob was gone and depressed, the new version was taking action to go back to the way he should be and not let anyone take advantage of him again.

Rather than the chronic haircuts, he was letting his hair grow out to its original length. He'd cut it because Bella liked short hair. He spent more time at the junk yard and the garage fixing up his bike than he used to, leading to his muscle gain. He'd stopped his mechanic work because Bella didn't like the smell. He'd switched back to his original body wash, deodorant, clothing style, went back to swimming and his prior activities and it felt good to be stepping back into the Jacob he knew. That perfect box she'd managed to put him, letting him slip through the cracks, was broken now that she'd fucked up and he'd seen her for what she was. He'd been fading into a controlling, overly caring, damn near obsessive person and that wasn't him. God, was this what being manipulated felt like? He doubted she ever felt the need to look past his face and see him for the person he was. Why was he so stupid?

To add onto his attempt to re-develop his old character, he'd managed to change his entire wardrobe, fix his bike to top working condition and finished another collection of songs for his lyricist life. It was going pretty well. That was until he arrived at the building of his employment. When he entered into the office early Saturday morning, sporting his riding gear and parking his bike, he was met with a very angry Leah.

"What's going on?"

"I'm sorry Jake, but it seems like the person that books your events is retarded…You're doing a commercial with the Swan-bitch today."

His mouth twitched up and the President of Fucktonia grinned beneath the surface. It was his time to shine after all… with Jacob's mental Bella playing DDR on his Clusterfuck button it was hard not to grin with glee. The Clusterfuck button a.k.a the one thing that will push Jacob over the edge and into his position as President of Fucktonia, a.k.a. the one button you never push in any person, has been semi-depressed before but it hasn't happened fully yet.

Somewhere in his mind the old Jacob was trying to pull the tiny Isabella image from fully pressing on his Cluster fuck button that was growing bigger as news of the couple blared on the news everyday. Could they look any happier? He'd seen himself in the news and he looked like the world had either caved, he'd just gotten laid, and he was ready to kill. How he managed to pull all that off was a wonder by the hands of the multiple personality disorder he seemed to be developing while trying to go back to before Isabella. He hadn't gotten laid, in fact he didn't even remember what sex was since breaking up with Isabella. He supposed seeing them that way had officially scared his idea of sex for a very long time. That was fine, relationships seemed to cause far too much trouble for him at the moment.

"Jake?"

"I heard you," he said calmly, shifting his helmet to his other hand and following Leah's clicking heels down the hall towards the studio. "What else is on the agenda?"

"You'll be doing another commercial with another model and then a music video."

"A music video?"

She grinned, "Yep, for one of the songs you wrote lately too. The artist doesn't usually hire a lyricist but apparently she's been in a bit of slump and something about your lyrics spoke to her."

He blinked and followed her, passing a room with the sound of a rocking guitar solo and clapping. The music sounded angry, bitter, and sad washing over him in waves. It didn't exactly help his disposition. He wanted to meet the person on the other side of that door though. Anyone that could produce that type of sound was probably a kindred heart...he wasn't sure that was what he needed but that was what he wanted. That and for the world to back the hell off. It was bad enough he had split personalities but then he had to appear normal for the prying eyes of the camera who wondered how Jacob was faring. While he appreciated their _concern,_ which was more like trying to get their publicity ratings up by having his name in their tabloids, he didn't want it.

What he really wanted was to see his family, go home and forget the whole thing had ever happened.

"Ready?"

"Yep." She opened the door and Isabella stood with a shy smile, he looked at her and looked past her to the director.

He shook her hand with a friendly smile and sighed at her nervous shifting of the eyes.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience Mr. Black, it seems that my management doesn't watch the news very often."

He smiled lightly, "It's okay. Please, call me Jacob."

"Have you ever used the product _Sensual _?"

He grinned at the name. That was his original body wash along with Intoxication from the same brand, before Isabella came into his life and changed it to something with sea, he didn't really care at the time, he was only making her happy. That was all.

"Yes, I do. I'm a fan."

She smiled, "That's wonderful then you already know the idea behind it. We're trying to create a new feel for it. The other commercials haven't been meeting the creator's ideals as of late and we're trying to get one that will work before the new release."

"New release?" He asked as they reached the dressing room and Leah stepped out to take a call.

"Yes, the company is releasing a new scent _Cool & Soul_."

He grinned at the name and took a seat in the styling chair as she continued to explain the premise. He was supposed to be exhibiting a version of cool with some soul. They asked him if he did anything that would help with atmosphere they were trying to create.

Isabella stayed silent in the corner as Leah peaked in, "I have to take off for a moment to do some damage control. You gonna be alright?"

"I'm sure I can find my way around a building I've been working in for the last three years."

She grinned and pinched his arm for his insolence before glaring at Isabella and walking out.

The commercial began without incident except for the end. Jacob had played a prescribed saxophone solo as requested and they filmed it. There were supposed to be words added to the filming as soon as they managed to film all the scenes of him playing. Then they were dancing. Isabella is something that was supposed to be sultry and made her look nice he guessed. It wasn't until the fifth time she tripped over her own feet in the heels, and stomped on his feet that the director threw up her hands in annoyance.

"That's it! I can take klutzy but this is ridiculous! Get her off the floor, we'll change the script!"

Isabella approached him as he took off his hat and sighed. How annoying, he'd never had to take so man retakes as did with Isabella trying to dance.

"Jake, I…Can we talk?"

"About?" He replied shortly. "You cheated on me remember? Where we used to share a bed…and probably everywhere else."

"Jake, I can explain…please?" She looked up at him and somewhere inside him the Clusterfuck button made a "whoosh" sound and set off the alarms as the President of Fucktonia Jacob lead a parade straight to his head. He took a seat at the controls, entered "FIL," and pushed "Go."

"You have until the director comes back to explain to me in a way that I'll understand."

She stammered a bit, "I hadn't meant it to happen. It's just that you were, you were always gone and I didn't think that you'd wanted and… and I was lonely. I was drunk the first time and I wanted to tell you but…"

Fucktonia President Jacob sat at his control panel, eating popcorn and laughing at her pathetic explanation of why she did what she did. This was of course complete with the "Oh, I didn't know that," and other nods of understanding as the control master threw popcorn at Jacob the wolf cub in the cage at the edge of the office and at the screen he viewed Bella through.

"And well… that's how it happened. I'm sorry Jacob! Please don't hate me."

He raised an eyebrow at her leaning down to be eye to eye with her and ignored the Jacob cub's whimpering.

"Shut up! It's your fault I even exist!"

He only whimpered more at the command and the President of Fucktonia decided to turn down the "FIL" knob from "Cowabunga Motherfucker" to "Mental Devastation." The cub would have preferred the disengagement of FIL knob, but snuffed in compromise and ate the popcorn coming at him.

"Hey... want to hear a joke?"

She blinked a little confused," Uhm...sure...?"

"Knock. Knock." He said through clenched teeth.

"Who's there?"

"Go fuck yourself," he replied and turned to walk away from her, leaving her shocked.

If she hadn't been there to hear, it she would have never believed that it happened. Jacob had just cussed at her...He'd never done that before... He was wondering he never did it before, it was like a great weight had been lifted from his chest.

The President of Fucktonia laughed and the fanfare echoed through his office as the director cued him up to the platform again. Three or four more shots of him playing a few instruments and posing with Bella's back to the camera, a devilish grin later and they were done. He got out of the set quickly and headed to his next scene. He heard the shower running before anything else and a woman's voice.

"So who is in here with me?" She asked as he opened the door and looked up.

_Goddamn it's good to be free…_

There was a primal growl in him as she turned in that white towel with no hint of anything underneath. her eyes glowed in the dim light of the set and he wasn't sure what color they were other than silver, blue, and amber. Or maybe that was the color...

Her driver's license must be interesting...

"Hi! Are you Mr. Jacob Black?"

He swallowed what he really wanted to growl out and managed an intelligent response to the black cherry haired beauty. He wished the towel was a bit smaller length wise so he could get a better look at her physique but his imagination was definitely working in overdrive. He took her hand in his own as her smile washed over him with all the sweetness in the world and shook it slowly. Her hand was small in his and soft against his slightly calloused fingers...she was a stark feminine contrast to his masculinity.

"Yes, and you?"

She looked up with those deeply colored eyes that Jacob felt like drowning in and she smiled as if he was worth smiling at. He swallowed and wondered how he was supposed to handle this mega-watt smile when his inner wolf was howling at her beauty and cringing at the light. He wanted to surrender, but damned if he would make another mistake like Bella.

"That's a secret," she replied with a teasing smile. "Let's work well together, hm?"

He realized then that her eyes were several colors and he recognized them from some vague commercial. President Jacob retreated and cub Jacob got older. There was a deep primal howling in him when he was taken away to undress and slip into the usual shower scene attire, basically a pair of really small flesh colored shorts that always made him feel a bit uncomfortable. But the point was to appear in the nude so there wasn't much else he could do about that.

He walked out with a towel around his waist and wandered over to where his mysterious co-actor was leaning over the shoulder of the director.

"So what exactly is this commercial for?"

"A shower gel... _Intoxication_ and _Irresistible_..." the director asked handing them their separate bottles.

Jacob grinned at the familiar curve of the Intoxication bottle in his hand.

"So are we taking a shower in this?"

"You're taking a shower together and wrestling a little in the shower...you know like a couple. I'm sure you two can figure it out..."

He glanced over to her as the shower was set up and she was handed a shower pouf. Jacob swallowed hard as they stepped into the shower and handed off their towels, standing underneath the shower spray. She smiled up at him, and he couldn't help but smile back trading soap bottles with her and nodding. It was an odd thing to be so in sync with someone he'd just met, but their eyes met and the game began as her eyes narrowed from sweet as pie to sly as a fox.

Half of him screamed "NO!" but oh did he want to say yes. He bit his lip trying to distract himself from the waves of desire rolling over him. Stepping a little closer he stared her down in a slight challenge and tried to make her understand what was going on. She smiled again and said nothing reaching up to his shoulders with her gentle embrace and he lost it.

She had no idea what she'd just done.

Hands roamed, lathering over clothed parts to hide the slightly darker clothing. Once that was done, they were pressed up against each other, him teasing, her daring him with her body and he couldn't help but howl inside at how they fit together so perfectly. Damn, damn, damn…Those legs had wrapped around his waist as they stood under the shower, with her head buried in his shoulder and his hands buried in her slick hair. She let out a soft gasp, of what he couldn't quite tell but he wanted to hear it again...and again and preferably mixed in with screams of ecstasy and his name. He shuddered at the idea of her laid out beneath him, hot and panting as he made her scream his name over and over again.

He was so caught in his fleeting an dangerous fantasy that he clung to every small response of her body and completely ignored the sirens and warning bells thundering through his mind. She was no better off. The frantic and searching power of him overwhelmed her and she knew that she'd have to pull out all the acting stops to be able to walk calmly towards her next appointment without collapsing into a puddle of desire. They weren't even having sex but if they'd been naked... she shuddered at the thought. Jacob was a big guy and she was sure that he was probably...big all over.

The director gulped at the final shot of video before he called it cut as her eyes were glowing in the dim lights of the shower and shadows of Jacob's shoulder. She was biting her lips while Jacob's lips traced over the curve of her cheek, eyes hooded as he glanced at the camera and a slight applause trickled through the studio as she slid out of Jacob's arms with that sweet smile over her face.

"Is that okay?" She called out and Jacob swallowed hard, willing his body to calm down.

President Jacob screamed in frustration, "Don't even think about it!"

As wolf Jacob growled in contempt. He wanted her and he wanted her bad. On every primal level, he wanted her underneath him, submitting to him, he wanted her to lo-...lo-...

_Goddamnit..._

He let her go, realizing that he couldn't eve finish the thought and President Jacob sat back with a relieved sigh. Another catastrophe probably avoided. The wolf shrank back into that poor wounded puppy and Jacob's eyes grew cold. She noticed the change, but instead of commenting on it, she mirrored it with her own polite smile and distance though her heart was still beating , threatening to break out of her chest and tap dance before him.

"That's perfect, you two can get to your next appointment."

She cheered and shook his hand quickly before scurrying to the dressing room, wrapped in her towel. By the time he'd managed to calm down, he was dressed and still drying hair and trying to push the feel of her soft and curvy body against him out of his head. She was beautiful, whoever she was. She probably was some size up of 36-24-36 with great legs and he was still salivating from the feel of her pressed up against him. He'd had one shot takes for most of the day making today one of his fastest moving days in a while and the encounter with her made him smile. According to a few co-workers he'd passed, his "blinding-oh-my-god-it's-like-the-sun" smile was back.

_Holy Shit_ what had she just done? Wasn't she still healing? Wasn't she trying to avoid men, relationships, sex and anything else having to do with love at all costs? What on earth was he thinking? The image of his extremely toned, extremely masculine body, in those erotically colored shorts flashed in her mind and she knew exactly what she was thinking.

_Goddamn he's fine..._

For just a moment her comma ridden Temptress sat up in bed, whooped, hollered, and she felt a little more back to normal before she fell back against the bedsheets and back into her dead to the world state. Her she-wolf growled in lust a little bit before the stinging bite of her wounds took over again and reality shifted back to where it was supposed to. While he'd held her in his arms, she felt the breadth of his shoulders, the tone of his muscles and the silk over steel quality of his body...his warmth and kindness. The stark resemblance to _him_ should have scared her shitless but instead she felt safer wrapped around his body underneath the shower spray than she had in a very long time...

Her head began ringing as the memories and the ghouls of her past howled making it very clear.

No relationships.

He headed towards the next room where the woman from before was sitting on the edge of the table drying her hair with a white towels, four other seats were filled with men and a blonde haired woman maiming them with her eyes.

"Rosalie?" He asked recognizing her from the pictures in a friend's photo album.

She looked up, "Oh, Jacob. What's up? Give me a minute...You better be glad that you four don't have anything else to do today or I would be more than pissed off right now."

"Mou, Rose calm down okay?" The woman said with that sweet smile. "Please?"

"Come on Rose, I took care of it and it's fine alright?" The biggest one said with a grin. "You know what your anger does to me..."

She clicked her teeth, "Couch."

The boys hissed in pain as she stood up at the bigger man pouted a bit.

"I'm sorry for that Jacob, take a seat."

"Oh... you're that Jacob Black? I had no idea!" The woman said pulling the towel off her head and twisting her hair up as he took a seat.

This is the artist that's in a bit of a slump? She doesn't look like the slump type... She also happened to be the woman he came dangerously close to jumping on set just a few minute prior.

Her eyes were warm with a light he was sure used to be in his own...Her smile lit up the room and she seemed too happy to have any type of slump. He hoped that whatever it is that made her have a slump didn't kill that light. There was nothing worse than that.

"Well Jake, this is Kichi Codec." They waved and he blinked.

"Kichi Codec? The Kichi Codec?"

The biggest man of the group grinned, "Yep that's us."

He glanced around the room. He knew them well with his cousin Quil never shutting up about them. He sent a poster home and Quil had framed it. The Kichi Codec was one of the hottest bands that were internationally known, they were famous for covering other songs and their own songs were top sellers. They'd started off as a cover band because of the lead singer's amazing ability to copy other people's voices when singing. The idea of cover concerts became a hit because of them...He could have sworn they were in Michigan doing a Japanese cover three day concert.

"I never expected that you'd be the band that I'd be meeting..."

"Yeah, we flew in this morning from Michigan and well we're still running on coffee. Forgive us but our spirited fashion coordinator is not here at the moment so we won't be shooting the video until tomorrow."

He blinked, "That's fine. I was kind of hoping for an early day. I've got somethings to do."

The woman smiled, sliding into the farthest seat from him as the rest of the band sat up.

"Well then I guess we can start with he introductions now. The big teddy bear teasing Rose is Emmet McCarty, don't be intimidated he's harmless and our drummer. Rosalie Hale is our and my personal manager not to mention my best friend and engaged to our favorite teddy bear."

She huffed as Emmett took her hand and beamed with joy.

"Alice Brandon Whitlock is not here as of the moment, she's our color coordinator and pep injector. That southern fellow is Jasper Whitlock is her husband and second guitarist and is in no way inferior to my brother Ryuu Romano is first guitarist and second vocal and is very much inferior to me."

Ryuu, the one with the same eyes as her and pitch black curls on his head, glared playfully at her with that knowing older brother smirk.

"Lead vocals or not, you are still my little sister darling."

She stuck out her tongue at him and grinned at Jacob. "I'm Kichiyuuki...please to save time call me Kichi."

"So... you're the one the band is named after..."

She smiled proudly.

"My little sister is the reason our band exists...

"My cousin, Quil, is in love with you.

She laughed and the rest of the band laughed as well. Was that normal for them to laugh like that?

"We get that all the time." She replied, "But anyway, let's talk about something else! Like the upcoming album that we need to work on!"

"Is she always like this?" Ryuu said noticing Jacob's expression. "No, she's relatively calm today."

She puffed her cheeks at him in indignation, "Cruel,much?"

"Ti amo," he replied sweetly and she pouted.

"I understand that you want me to write a song for you..."

"Yes!" She said breaking out of her reverie and looking at him. "Actually,we're consulting you for the whole album."

He blinked.

"You're good Mr. Black, and I would have asked earlier if there wasn't Phantom and well... you know the rest, but now that you're back to work I figure you'll be up to making some money right? I mean outside of sexy shower commercials."

He swallowed and smirked at her, "Yeah. I'll be up to it."

"Great! Rosalie do you think we can meet up in the next week?" She asked of the blonde, flipping through a familiar looking Blackberry as Leah opened the door behind him sporting her own PDA and the Blackberry to her ear.

"Well I'll be damned, if it isn't Leah Clearwater!" Rosalie greeted and Leah grinned, hanging up the phone.

"Rosalie, you're not knocked up yet!"

"Not for lack of trying," Emmett muttered, Rosalie smacked his sneaky hands around her shoulders as Leah took a seat beside Leah.

"What's the video we were supposed to be filming today?"

"More than Easy," she replied. "It's going on our next original album."

"Oh yeah? Is it angry?"

She smiled, "Very. By the way, I write the lyrics so you'll be working with me more often than not, is that okay?"

He nodded, "It's fine so long as you call me Jake, Kichi."

She grinned, "Cool. Well then this meeting is adjourned! I'll see you guys tonight at home for practice and you Jake another day."

He nodded and stood with Leah.

"Well if there isn't anything left for me to do, I'm gonna head off-"

"Here, take my number." She said stretching out her card. "Just so we can get into contact."

"Don't you...want mine?"

"I have it already, silly. Leah gave it to me when I asked about your schedule, just haven't had time to contact you."

He nodded in understanding. Contacting him wouldn't be a good idea, after all not after everything that had been going on in his life anyway. But... given his emancipated status, contacting this fiery singer, even for a casual hangout because he wasn't sure about relationships yet, he'd be fine with it. She smiled at him again and that old feeling spread through him like wildfire. He couldn't be in love with this woman... he just couldn't. He didn't have time for it... but if there was anything that he wanted it was her. Maybe not emotionally, but physically? Every fiber in his body was screaming out for her. God, how long had it been since he'd had mind-clearing, paralyzing, powerful sex? He couldn't remember...maybe sometime while he was in high school before he got into a relationship with She-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named.

He'd have to fix that. Somehow he'd forgotten what sex was supposed to feel like when he dated Bella and upon breaking up with her, he forgot what sex was and now his libido was going to force him to make up for that if the Wolf Jacob didn't... He almost felt bad for the first woman he would find...

"I'll see you later then." She said softly heading out the door and bushing against him.

The rest of the band, the male members, looked at him with knowing looks.

"Don't worry, the side effects might wear off soon. She does that." Ryuu said. "And if they don't, go find a girlfriend before you get in too deep. My sister is off limits."

He blinked and blinked again in confusion before spinning around on his heels. The President in him wanted to say "That's what you think" but the normal side decided it was better to leave. It wasn't as if he was really considering going out with her was she? Well maybe not date so much as sleep with, date, and possibly one day marry. But that was a different story. President of Fucktonia banged on the walls of his control tower, giving Jacob a major headache and with Mayor Practical joining in, he got the hint.

No relationships.

Kichi climbed the stairs to her lonely studio apartment and slid into bed against the pain after locking the three dead bolt locks, setting the security system, locking the windows, and of course turning off her phone. She just couldn't deal with anything right now...if it was really important they would call the house phone and maybe she'd answer it. At least her wounds were getting better, she'd only needed half of her regular dose of painkillers to get through the commercial and the music video shoot... she was sure there was still that wierd dark shimmer in her hair but she wouldn't bother trying to wash it out at the moment. There was a soft whimpering in the recess of her mind as the wounded she-wolf licked her wounds and the Temptress lay in a comma. She'd been like that for a while so the Paranoid and frightened Damsel, masquerading as Bright and Happy took over in their stead. She hated it but it was something more than the soulless

But the act was draining and neither the wolf nor the Temptress was getting any better any faster with time and this insane lifestyle she as living. She didn't have a computer, no internet access...it would have been too easy. She had three guns stashed around her apartment and a knife taped to the side of her dresser next to her bed. When she was out touring with the band, she always shared a room with her brother and kept a switch blade beneath her pillow. Sometimes she'd wake up screaming, shrieking in terror and panic, slashing at the darkness until her brother calmed her down. She was proud to say that even in her hysteria she had never cut him.

The phone rang and she reached for it.

"Hello?"

"I found you," that same voice that had crept into her nightmares on more than one occasion.

She screamed throwing the phone back into the cradle and pulling the gun into her hand as she dialed her brother's number.

"Hel-"

"Ryuki, dear god help me! He called me! _He found me!"_

He cursed under his bed and rolled out of it. It was at least eleven o'clock at night after a nearly 48 hour day and usually he would have been dead to the world but the panic and fear in her voice sent a rush of adrenaline through his system and he was out the door three minutes later, climbing into his car and driving towards her apartment.

"I'm coming over, okay? Pack a bag, you're staying with me until we can get to the police, alright?"

"O-Okay...S-Stay on the line...p-please?"

"You don't have to ask," he replied, keeping his tone steady to calm her down. "Just stay put until I get there alright?"

"There's someone knocking on the door..." She said.

"What? Don't answer-"

The sound of her scream cut off would haunt him forever even as he parked and jumped out to rush up ten flights of stairs face what could possibly be his worst nightmare come true.

_Screw that,_ he decided storming down the hallway. He'd lost his sister once... he would not lose her again.


	3. Everything Lethal and Likewise

He was everything Jacob wasn't. Edward knew that, Bella knew that, and Edward was sure that Jacob knew that as well. Where Jacob was lax, Edward was demanding and controlling. Jacob smiled and encouraged, Edward criticized and perfected. Jacob had a conscious, he didn't. Jacob's clusterfuck button and his President were created by heartbreak. Edward's was merely instilled in him as a child growing up with his hyper active sister. Jacob was sensitive, Edward didn't know what it meant. He was pale. Jacob was tan. He was everything Jacob wasn't and he wondered if that was what Bella wanted.

She said from the beginning that she didn't want him to change, despite the bruises he'd given her when he'd treated her a bit too roughly. Even when he'd smacked her for the fifth time she clung to him and begged him to fuck her. Somehow he figured he wasn't the only fucked up person in Hollywood. Of course his first plan was to bruise her bad enough for Jacob to be blamed...but he was careless and they were caught...So much for that plan. Didn't matter, now he just had to get _rid_of her. He'd never hear the end of it from Alice or Rosalie-let alone his manager if he did that too soon. He was in a bad enough position with Victoria over getting caught in the first place. His door opened and slammed shut with all the rage of the red head.

_Speak of the devil..._

"Edward," she said, well more or less growled.

He raised an eyebrow and looked up at her from his position on the couch in nothing more than a loose robe and a towel on his head.

"You're never going to forgive me are you?" He asked.

She sucked on her teeth, "Be glad that I am as good as I am and you happen to be a good actor. You've got an audition in a few weeks... please at least try to prepare."

"I could prepare better if I wasn't so sexually frustrated..."

She smiled a little and walked over to straddle his hips and look directly into his eyes. It was very interesting position they were in.

"Honey," she cooed. "You know how I feel about your sex life, don't you?"

"You want to be a part of it?"

"No, I want it to end." She said and smacked him across the face. "It wouldn't be such a problem if you weren't so careless and didn't decide to ruin people's lives and your career at the same time!"

He sighed and sunk deeper into the couch as she stood up and glared down at him, "Thanks to you, Jacob got at least four of the parts that you would have gotten if not for this scandal!"

"Actors thrive on scandals, the world will forget it soon enough."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead, there was no getting through to this man, ever. She should have known from the moment he marched into her office with that stupid look on his face that he would be nothing but trouble. She really wished that she'd been the lucky girl to get Jacob as her assignment instead of this maniac. But that time had passed and she was working on a promotion, when she got it then she wouldn't have to deal with his stupidity. He would be some other poor agent's problem. She almost felt bad for whoever it would be.

_Promotion..._ she chanted and breathed in.

"Look Edward, I don't care what you do tonight. But you better be ready for that audition tomorrow understand?"

He nodded and she sashayed out of his penthouse. He was surprised that she hadn't scolded him for still being seen with Isabella, but he supposed that was something she would get to another time. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV to see some replay of Jacob exiting the press conference and chuckled a poor pup, he really thought that Isabella was different, that she'd actually cared about him. He supposed the only thing good that came out of the entire ordeal was that Jacob had learned something: Hollywood woman aren't worth anything.

The news blared early the next morning about the late evening incident at Kichi's apartment and Jacob woke up to it. She'd looked so terrified curled up in her brother's arms clinging to him and shivering as he shoved his way through the crowd of reporters towards a police car. The flashes of the camera reflected scarlet on her cheeks and he felt nauseous at the sight of her as the video faded off and the reporter began to speak.

"Ms. Romano was staying at an undisclosed location without access to any wireless network while in her apartment. From what we have gathered it seems that she received a phone call a few moments before the unnamed attacker broke into her apartment and accosted the young star. What actually happened and how badly the singer was injured is still unknown, but the police will escort the pair to the police station to take statements and give Ms. Romano medical treatment. Who the attacker was, how her brother arrived on the scene, and where Ms. Romano will be staying remain unknown until the police give their official statement on the situation. Our prayers go out to the frightened star."

Jacob swallowed a lump in his throat as his phone rang and he answered. It was Leah.

"I hope you're watching the news."

"I am," he replied. "Do you know what happened?"

"No I don't but according to Rose, Kichi is still demanding we keep on schedule."

"Is she alright?" He asked.

"I think so. Rose said that the injuries weren't terrible so maybe with some rest and pain killers she should be fine."

"Do they know who it was? Do they have any idea of who it was?"

"I don't know Jake...she's not talking."

He sighed and sunk down into the chair. He shouldn't have been so worked up about it but the idea of that sweet girl being attacked that way and he knew nothing about what happened bothered him on a deeper level than he realized. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were pale, his mouth was a thin line and he felt ready to punch through a wall.

"I'll let you know as soon as I know something, I know you've got a bit of a crush on her."

She hung up before he could manage a reply and he huffed, chuckling a little bit. It's possible that she was right but that didn't mean he had to act on it. Nope! He didn't have to do a damn thing until he felt that he could. But that didn't mean he didn't want to...and damn did he want to. _God,_ did he want to. He felt himself start harden and decided to get up and do something else before the flashes of her smile turned into something else. He decided a long run along the beach would clear his mind and headed outside.

"Honey,you have to stop moving or they can't sew up your arm, okay?" Ryuuki cooed to his trembling sister.

The paramedic looked on in pity as the girl obviously tried to stop moving, and even the tranquilizer and pain medication wasn't helping. Whatever happened in that apartment, it'd scared her well beyond the aid of modern science. He bit his lip and looked up at Ryuuki as he rocked her gently and stroked her hair.

"It's okay now, Kichi-ah," he whispered. "_Daijoubuda. Yakusoku..Ne? Shinjite imasu, Iidesu ka?"_

She didn't say anything but tried her best to keep still the paramedic sighed abandoning the attempt at stitches and went for a very good bandage job until she'd managed to calm down. Ryuki thanked the man before he left. He recommended taking her to a doctor within the next few days but he knew that wouldn't then the anxiety, the fear and adrenaline would have worn off and she would be back to the haphazardly duct taped and glued together mess that she'd been for much longer than he cared to remember. She would stitch her arm up as she had done so many times before and keep going on with life.

He took her home with him that night, put her to bed and stayed by her side for a while until she fell asleep surrounded by the scent of his room and him and cuddled up to that silly stuffed bunny she'd dubbed the "Crack Bunny" because the bubble in its left glass eye. He'd kept it for her accidentally as it had been in one of his boxes when they moved. He hadn't had the heart to throw it away. Laying on the couch, he tried to sleep but ended up staring at the ceiling until the sun rose and filled the sleepy apartment with light. Around three, she came padding out of his room rubbing her eyes and stumbling into the bathroom to get a good look at her injuries, by then her brother was sound asleep.

She vaguely remembered the incident like a bad dream that she dared not remember, but she felt the burn of an open wound underneath the very well done bandage job on her arm. She pulled out the first aid kit she put together years ago that he brother had set on the bathroom sink. He knew her too well. It took no more than an hour to sterilize the long jagged cut, the needle, sew herself together, and rewrap the bandage. She wouldn't have been able to say how long it took. The process was so familiar to her that it had a sense of timeless speed to it. She went back into her brother's room to the security of his scent and the softness of pillows and the crack bunny she hadn't realized had been with him all that time.

When she woke up there were voices drifitng down the hallway of the apartment. She recognized one of them as her brother, then Rosalie, the Emmett, Alice and Jasper. She got out of bed, drawn by the sound of sizzling bacon and pulled a robe around her, one that she was sure was her brother's at one point but he'd outgrown it.

"I say we find this fucker and teach him a lesson," Emmett growled. "She looks terrible."

"If I could do that, it would already be done and none of this would have happened." Ryuuki growled from his place at the stove. "But however he's hiding himself, he's doing a damn good job of it."

Emmett cursed and flopped on the couch.

"It's nice to see you up and moving about," Jasper greeted as she stumbled into the living room with a sleepy smile and a serious case of bed head.

"It's good to still be able to be up and moving about."

"How'd you sleep?" Ryuuki asked, stir frying that smelled like home.

"Fine...dreamless." She answered as Ryuuki turned off the stove.

"Breakfast is almost ready, take a seat."

She knew there was never any arguing with and took a seat at the set table and smiled. He'd made her a Japanese breakfast. Ryuuki was never one to be fond of Japanese food, he aways preferred the Italian route while Kichi was partial to both. She hadn't had a real Japanese breakfast in over a year

"You could use a pick me up,"he said setting a box of Pocky beside her and kissing the side of her head."Need anything else?"

"Chopsticks?"

He handed them to her and left her to eat.

"Itadakimasu," she said as he joined her, sitting across the small table with a cup of coffee in had as the rest of the band looked on.

"I hope I haven't thrown us too off schedule with all the drama,"Kichi said.

Rosalie shook her head hopelessly, "Don't be silly. This is a lot more important than shooting a video. I would postpone it for another week but I know you'd have my head for that. Jacob's meeting us at the studio around noon."

"Great!" She said, folding her legs in the chair and continuing to eat. "I'll finish eating, get dressed, and we can head out."

As she promised she was ready to go half an hour later with still wet hair drying in the warm spring breeze as they rode across the city with the windows down as Rosalie went through their itinerary for the day.

"We've got a meeting with a few people from Washington about your upcoming performance at Port Angeles near Forks, Washington. That's three weeks from now. Then you have studio time until three which is when we'll start shooting_Breaking Broken__."_

_"Breaking Broken?_"Kichi asked. "I thought we were doing _More Than Easy_."

"Those bandages aren't exactly something we can ignore or really hide well. You're injured so we rescheduled it until after the concert. You need all the rest you can get for the concert and _Breaking Broken, _was the only song I could think of that you being injured in would be alright."

She grimaced, "Sorry. I don't mean to be a pain."

"Why are you apologizing? You could have been killed, "Ryuuki scolded as they pulled into a parking space outside their studio.

"I know."

They headed in to the meeting and finalized all the details. The new stadium there, they would be christening it before the local bands got a chance to use it or football games would be played there. They finalized the set list too and then headed to the studio to run through some song ideas before Jacob arrived. Emmett was tapping out a mellow rhythm, Kichi put on her headphones and stepped up to the mike as Jacob entered the studio with Leah behind him and took a seat beside Rosalie.

"They're finishing up the _Shoot It Out_ cover," Rosalie said. "Please watch and be amazed at the band of only one run through."

He sat back and watched as she adjusted the controls and gave them the thumbs up to begin.

"_Shoot it shoot it out cause they want it want it now now..._" Ryuuki started. "_Shoot it, shoot it out cuz they want it, want it now, now._"

Jacob had never seen them perform and when the band started up and Kichi had not sung a single note he was getting a little worried.

"_Shoot it, shoot it out cuz they want a little more,_" she sung. "_You can be rest assured...You give them all you got and you give them a little more and you never even know what for. They feed and they suck until you're unconscious. It's never enough, they **kill** your subconscious._"

Her eyes were closed rocking to the music and letting it take over. It always felt this way, it never mattered what she was singing or who's words they were. It was song that said something, meant something to her and's how it would always be.

"_I'm ready to die._ "

It wasn't long before Jacob found himself singing along in a soft whisper. He'd heard the song at least once before, but in the light of everything that'd happened in the last few weeks, it took on a new light in his eyes. Kichi's eyes seemed glow whenever she did open her eyes as the beat of the drums and the depth of the bass flowed through her and made her belt out painful lyrics that he was sure meant something more for her too.

"_Will you kill what's left of me to stop the bleeding~?" _She sounded in so much pain, belting out those words and he wondered if it had anything to do with what happened in her apartment late last night. "_Suffocate integrity till I'm not breathing~!_"

Ryuuki knew. He'd seen it when they walked in and the plan to record this song hadn't changed. The wounds were open and bleeding and she was channeling it into her voice, the way she always did. He was proud of her, she was stronger than most in the fact that she'd learned to use her pain and fear to do something with it instead of falling into depression. That didn't mean he didn't worry about her. Every time they sung, she'd opened the mystery box of their past, of her past and with songs like this there was never anyway to know if she could close the top on it again or not.

"_Feeding the wolves_," she laughed a little. "_Don't you know better?...Feeding the wolves... the taste of blood is bitter~..._"

The bridge slowly wound it way through her before the chorus came back to shake her and her brother took up the violent repetition of the commands that she wished she could obey and have someone obey for her. It had hurt the memories, the fear, all of it and she really wished there was a way to shoot it out.

"_Will you kill what's left of me to stop the bleeding~?... Suffocate integrity till I'm not breathing~!_"

She joined in the screaming at the last repetition of those violent words, screaming into the microphone with her brother, "_Shoot it, shoot it out cuz they want it, want it now, now.__Shoot it, shoot it out cuz they want it, want it **NOW**!"_

"Good job guys!" Rosalie said through the microphone and looked back as Jacob who stared past the glass. "I think you may have scared poor Jacob though."

They laughed and came out of the studio, "That wasn't anything. Wait till you see us in concert!" Ryuuki grinned.

"Then you'll get to see our girl really act a fool," Emmett said with a grin.

Jacob smiled, "I look forward to it."

"Until then, we have lyrics to write!" She cheered, bandages and all. Jacob walked into the studio with them and her magical tablet.

When asked why she called it her "Magical Tablet" by Jacob, she explained that it had survived three moves, a flood, a tornado, the pool cleaning system, and a cross country bus ride and was still functioning. That's why it was magical.

"Oh... yeah that's pretty magical."

She nodded and opened it and he was a little surprised that it wasn't filled, it looked like it hadn't been used more than half way through.

"It's the third edition and the most magical one, all the other ones just dealt with erasers and me," she said turning to the latest page that she'd been working on and pulled up a stool to the table as the guys were working on background music and riffs.

"You really... do write your own music."

She blinked, "Of course. Why wouldn't we? It's not ours if someone else wrote it. "

"Why am I here then?"

"Because sometimes our girl need help," Emmett said. "She's in a bit of a slump."

"Thank you Emmett," she said pointedly. "What happened to that music you guys promised me?"

"Yeah yeah we're working on it." Her brother said running through chords and turning back to talk with Jasper.

"Hey, Kich' do that thing with your voice," Jasper said tuning his guitar.

"What thing-"

Jacob was cut off with Kichi running through a quick set of notes, that was reminiscent of a person playing the keyboard.

"That thing?"

"No the other thing."

She cupped her hand around her mouth and maid a sound that sounded somewhere in between a guitar riff and chord.

"No, the thing you did when we were in Italy," Ryuuki said.

"Oh," she said and cleared her throat and made a sound like an electric circuit shorting out and Jacob just watched on in amazement. What the hell had he gotten in to?

"Yeah," Emmett said as Jasper strummed through a few notes on the bass guitar before Emmett was drumming up a rhythm that they could follow.

"Do I want to know how this sound came about?"

"I was imitating stuff and I liked the sound." She said grinning as they were going through the short bit of music before changing a few notes and Emmett started off with a crazy solo before the other two joined in.

"That's what I like to hear," Rosalie said over the speaker. She was in charge of keeping time and recording things. By the time two fifty rolled around they were so deep into their progress that they had at the very least an intro to a song without the embellishments they would add later.

"Sorry to interrupt the progress, but we've got to get to the studio and start shooting the video."

Emmett pouted like a baby but they got ready to go. Where the band had managed to record a lot of music, Kichi had not had a single lyric pop into her head. No memories resurfaced and it sucked. She chocked it up to the effects of last night and figured that it was still too soon for her to trying to right lyrics when her mind was still shut down.

"I'm sorry I wasn't more helpful," Jacob said heading out.

"No... it's been a rough week and it's probably my fault. If it wasn't for my personal boogieman jumping from under the bed, we would have gotten so much more done."

His eyes softened and he stopped her as the band went ahead.

"You don't have to push yourself so hard..." she scoffed. "Really, maybe you should take at least a day off?"

She shook her head, "Work is the only thing that's keeping me together."

"That doesn't sound very enjoyable. You need to have some fun. It's not good to be so stressed."

She smiled, "Thanks. If you find away to get me to have fun, I'll take it."

"It's a bet."

She jogged a bit to catch up before turning back, "I know it's a little last minute... but if you don't have plans tonight would mind staying at the studio with me and try and get some work done? I don't foresee me getting much sleep tonight."

He swallowed, "I'll see."

She smiled, "No pressure! See you later, Jacob."

As she disappeared down the hall, he grinned a little. Not that he was taking it as a sign that she wanted to spend time with him or anything, the big poster that read : NO RELATIONSHIPS! in his mental control tower quickly killed that thought. But the wolf in him was tugging at the edges of the poster behind the Mayor's back. He had always been a little rebellious.

Leah called him moments later to say she left the requests for his lyrics on the desk and that she was heading home for the day. He laughed a little, she always had the best timing. He headed to his office at the end of a long row of cubicles and sighed at the large stack on the desk. At least he would be busy for the rest of the day...

* * *

When Kichi entered the studio, there was something running through her mind out of the darkness. It was running closer and closer to the forefront and soon she made out the running figure as her own inner wolf. The big white sheet that had been laid over the bed ridden Tempest had vanished and now she was staring off into space: awake.

This wasn't a good sign. Hurriedly she plugged in the big neon, flashing sign in her mind that read: NO RELATIONSHIPS! in sparkling blue to quickly stop the running wolf and the rising Tempest. She couldn't deal with even entertaining the idea of a relationship as Alice gave her the torn up outfit to wear for their scenes with just the band and stepped outside. No, she had work to do. She had to find a new place to live, heal up and rest before the concert and finish the lyrics to their upcoming album. She had things to do.

_You could add "Get a love life" or just "Jacob Black" to your To-Do List_

She almost choked at that dredged up thought that had bubbled up from the depths of her subconcious. She almost smiled, if thoughts like those and the very idea of intimacy didn't send her into a panic she had to be getting better.

_Actually_ getting better.

As Emmett began counting off to the beginning of the song, she closed her eyes and immersed herself into the darkest memories and started singing, lost in visions of pain and abuse.

"_BREAKING BROKEN!_" She was screaming by the time the last chorus came before glaring demonically at the camera through strands of wild curly hair and smirking a little in a sick, sadistic way.

It only took one take for those scenes before they moved on to the more general shots and were done before nine. The band told her to get her to eat and get some sleep, after promising them that she would they left the building and she headed towards the studio carrying her magical tablet and running through the music they'd played earlier that day.

She opened the door to an empty studio and turned on the computer to replay the tracks, trying to get a grasp on what she felt and the words started whirling around in her head.

"You won't take me down... again." she whispered along to the repeating tracks and writing.

Jacob came back from the deli down the street with three bags, two for food and one for dessert. Kichi liked chocolate right?

_DON'T YOU DARE START THINKING LIKE THAT! _The Mayor in his head screamed. _REMEMBER ISABELLA? REMEMBER HER?_

The wolf pulled him down into his seat and spun him around, wrapping tape around him to make him shut up and howled in approval.

President: 5

Wolf: 1

_At least I'm somewhat back in the game..._

He laughed at the idea of the two separate personifications of himself and wondered what a shrink would say about them. Opening the door, he smiled seeing her at the console with headphones over her ears and bopping her head along with whatever she was listening to, adjusting control and generally being amazing.

He closed the door behind him as she began to try out notes, higher, lower, and somewhere in between. He tugged the headphones off her ears.

"I brought food," he said as she spun around in surprise.

She smiled up at him, "I didn't expect you to come..."

He shrugged, "What better way to spend the night than writing lyrics?"

He refrained from adding _with you _to the end of his question and sat the bags down.

"You like chocolate, right?" Jacob asked opening the bags. "The guy there gave me chocolate cake since he hadn't been able to get rid of it all day."

"Chocolate?" She asked, her eyes lighting up.

In her mind, she heard the Tempest howl.

_My one true weakness~!FOOD! and Chocolate, I think I love him already._

The she-wolf seemed to agree and it was Kichi that turned up the lights on the very vivid display until they were blinded by it.

NO RELATIONSHIPS!

_Talk about a party killer,_ the Tempest growl and Kichi wondered if she was loosing her mind.

"...urkey?"

She shook her head and looked up at him, he was holding up two 12 inch subs wrapped in plastic.

"Uhm... sorry?"

He smiled and Kichi knew she was loosing to the two that were in blatant approval of Jacob.

"Honey Ham or Turkey?"

"Ham I guess..."

He offered her the sandwhich and pulled out chips.

"All they had were Flamin' Hots so..."

"I love those."

She wanted to smack herself in the face when his face lit up and he handed her a bag.

"Me too," he said. "I didn't expect to find anyone in Hollywood that would admit to it."

"I'm a sucker for Chocolate too."

_Just let me die now_, she thought.

He grinned, "I'll stow that away for later reference...Black Raspberry or Peach Tea? It's Snapple."

"Raspberry if you don't mind..."

He handed it to her and came to sit beside her.

"What were you listening to?"

"The music we recorded today," she said unplugging the headphones so that he could hear it too.

She picked up half her sandwich and opened it pouring Flamin' Hots over it and closing it just as a crunching sound came from Jacobs side of the room. He was doing the same thing and when he looked up he stared at her with the Flamin' Hots sticking out of the sides of her sandwich.

"Do you do that with all your chips?" He asked a little amused.

"Just the spicy ones."

He grinned, "Ever tried Salsa Verde on a sandwich? Their pretty good."

"I have and I found that jalapeño juice makes it perfect."

He nodded thinking about it, "That does sound good... You're a spicy food fan then?"

"Oh yeah," she said taking a bite. "I used to carry a bottle of Sudden Death sauce with me when we toured."

He laughed, "I can never find any of that but I keep Habanero sauce in my overnight bag."

He laughed a little more at the memory. Bella hated spicy food, hated the smell of it too so whenever they at together he'd suffer but when she was asleep, he slathered all types of pepper to redeem himself. She always wondered why when she got the stomach flu, he was perfectly fine.

_Best antibiotic ever..._

"I like your style," she complimented. "Yeah, whenever we went out to eat, I'd always ordered what ever was hottest on the menu. I can't tell you how many Thai restaurants I've been to when we toured...But I haven't had a taste for spicy food since..."

Her voice faded off and Jacob watched her eyes darken before she shook her head and shoved it away.

"Well in a while," she'd said. "I didn't realize how much I missed the burn."

He nodded and looked over at her hesitantly.

"What happened that made you loose your taste?"

Her eyes glanced over at him.

"I broke up with my boyfriend."

He blinked, "Oh... I shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine," she said continuing to eat. "Anyone that carries bottles of lethal sauce with them is a friend of mine."

He laughed, "Likewise."


	4. Despite Inclinations

The trip to up to Washington was a long one after the rushing in the studio to write and record for their music videos. Kichi climbed aboard the bus and nearly passed out on the little mattress with her notebook in her lap and pencil in hand. Ryuki could only cover her up and take the items from her hand and let her rest. She'd recovered mostly from the trauma and the incident and spent a lot of time with Jacob over the last week. He would never, never, ever admit it out loud but he could see that the man was good for her, so he allowed it. The moment it even looked like his sister was in danger, he'd yank Jacob's balls off like a wet paper towel. Something that he told the other very blatantly. Jacob only laughed at the obvious humor in the statement. Ryuki didn't think he understood that he was being serious, but didn't explain that.

Of course Rosalie saw the benefits of having the other around and offered Jacob a couple of free tickets and backstage passes to the show that was sold out in Port Angles to get the man to come to Washington with them and keep Kichi moving. He looked at the tickets and took them gladly. He wasn't planning on going, but he supposed that he should. It would also give him a chance to go see his family, not to mention it was the best peace offer he could ever bring back.

"Where are we staying?" Kichi asked from her work space at the recording bench with headphones around her neck.

"We have to find separate housing for you," Ryuki said. "There's no telling how long that bastard has been looking at our schedule."

She huffed and puffed her cheeks.

"She can stay with me..."Jacob said slowly, causing the entire group to look at him."I'm from Washington...My house isn't in the city and it's probably a hell of a lot safer than a hotel."

Kichi shook her head, "I wouldn't want to be a burden..."

He scoffed, "The only burden would be my cousins. I've got three of them that are in love with the band-especially you."

She laughed a little as Rosalie grinned and nodded. The deal was that they would meet at the hotel and Jacob would take her to his house after they'd arrived and be her chaffeur and guide while she was there...In return she might have to sign a few autographs and make meals. Arriving in Port Angeles in the dead of night made her shiver but it was probably the safest she could ever be once they'd all entered the hotel to help the others unpack and snuck through the back to reach Jacob's car so they could start the drive towards the La Push Reservation.

"You live on the reservation?" She asked looking through the seemingly endless forest.

"Yeah... I haven't been back...in three years."

"Oh?" She asked. "I'm sure your family will be happy to see you! I feel awkward coming along with you like this though...but thank you..."

He shrugged, "There was no point in making things more complicated for you all when I could lend a hand. At least this way no one is going to come after you. It's nearly impossible to get into the reservation without someone to guide you... not to mention the guards."

"G-Guards?" She asked.

"My people believe in screening everyone that enters the reservation."

She nodded in understanding as a small station was nearing them on the driver's side of the road and the car slowed to a stop as two men came up towards the car. Jacob was digging for some sort of charm: a wolf howling at the moon on a leather rope. The two men nodded and they were allowed to continue the journey into the reservation.

"We'll have to make a quick stop off at friend's house...if that's okay?"

"It's fine! My safety is in your hands after all."

Jacob tried not to laugh at that as the car turned down another dirt road towards a house lit up with warmth and love from the inside. He parked and took a deep breathe. She looked over at him. If his expression didn't give it up, he found a way to make his entire body more tense that necessary. He seemed to be leaning forward while moving to retreat. She wasn't sure if he was about to run forward or back to the car and leave her standing there with no context and nothing to say to the people inside the house.

"You seem...nervous."

"I haven't contacted anyone on the Reservation in almost three years..."

She blinked and smiled gently, opening the door and stepping out heading towards the house, catching Jacob off guard. She was already at the door at

"K-Kichi what are you-"

By then the inhabitants had heard the car and had come out of the house just as Jacob was getting out of the car. Sam Uley was carrying a shotgun and a lantern as he looked out it the darkness and Jacob stood by the car staring blankly at the man that was looking at Kichi as if she were someone familiar and lost. She turned towards him and bowed and he almost chuckled at her formality.

"Hello, I'm Kichi. That man that's looking over here is Jacob. Jacob Black. He was a little nervous to get out of the car so-"

Jacob covered her mouth with slightly blushing cheeks as Sam lowered the gun and came down the steps to get a better look at the pair.

"Jake?" He asked in disbelief.

Jacob chuckled nervously, "What's up, Sam?...It's...uhm... been a while."

Sam started to smile and that smile slowly turned into a happy laughter as he pull Jacob in for a tight hug and continued to laugh. A woman carrying a baby, another woman, and three other men peered out of the house trying to figure out what on earth was going on.

"Sam, who is it?"

"It's Jake!" He cried pulling back and turning his head to shout back at them. "Come on in, both of you."

Jacob subtly glared at her but she beamed at him with a grin.

"The direct approach is always the best," she chimed following them in as Sam forced Jacob in front of him to enter the house. It was a nice house, cozy, had built and sturdy. She marveled at the hand carved pillars and the warmth that emanated from the house. It reminded her of home when her parents were still alive.

Jacob knew the house like the back of his hand and in all these years he had never forgotten a single detail. The rugs were all in place and now Emily, Sam's wife, was carrying a baby boy around. He remembered getting the postcard of the ultrasound of the newest addition to the tribe, but he hadn't been in the country to come see the baby...even if he was, he wasn't sure how he would have managed to come with Bella always being in the center of his life. That was three months prior and the baby was still pre-crawling age. He looked so much like Sam and Emily that it was scary... scarier than he'd ever imagined, but so damned cute. But not terrifying. What was terrifying was to see his father, Quil, Embry,Jared, and staring up at him in disbelief and confusion. He had no doubt changed a lot from the last time they'd seen him, as they had changed a lot from the last time he'd been there. His father had a few more strands of gray in his hair, though he didn't look much different in his wheelchair. His sisters were there too, with their husbands. It was like a family reunion and it chilled his blood to think that it was just a coincidence...

_Or a long overdue come-uppance._

"Jake?" His father gasped seeing him in the doorway, with Kichi skilfully keeping out of the way.

The house was silent waiting for him to say something. He worried his lip and cleared his throat before speaking...

"I uh... I was in town... I thought... Well..."

"Where the hell have you been all this time?" Rebecca, his eldest sister yelled at him. "We were worried sick! After all that stuff about you and Bella, we hadn't heard from you in so long. We were worried about you Jacob! Why didn't you contact any of us?"

_Well, there it is_, he thought. The thing that everyone wanted to ask, the thing that everyone wanted to know...The _what happened to you?_ He knew they weren't really angry at him, so much as with him for not contacting them, but that couldn't be helped considering the way his life was. He sighed and hung his head a little.

"It's...a long story," he said softly. "But that's not an excuse. I'm sorry, I never meant to... to do that, to stop speaking with any of you...Things just got a little out of hand."

His father rolled himself towards them, gliding towards him to give him a solid punch in the stomach. It didn't hurt but he watched his father's expression for some sign of anger, all he could find was relief.

"Are you alright now?" Billy asked.

Jacob nodded, "Yeah... I'm getting there."

"Good! Cause you owe us about three years worth of information!" Billy said.

Quil and Embry cheered in agreement and pulled him down onto the couch with them forgoing the lecture about how hurt they were in favor of quizzing him about his work and his life, careful to skate around the edge of the Bella subject. He'd been answering question after question for about thirty minutes before Quil's eyes caught the woman that had come in with him, skillfully fading into the background and admiring the sleeping baby in Emily's arms.

"Uhm...Jake. Why is there a Kichiyuki look a like here with you?" Quil asked.

She blushed and bowed slightly, "Sorry. That was really rude of me. My name is Kichiyuki Romano. Please just call me Kichi-"

"The...real Kichiyuki Romano?" Quil asked.

The stars in his eyes were getting brighter as she smiled and affirmed his assumption. Embry whistled.

"What a hell of an upgrade Jake! I might have to come visit you in California if this is what your girlfriend upgrade was!"

Jacob flushed and Kichi laughed.

"We're not dating."

"Yet," Embry said.

"Never!" Quil countered, "Our nerdy Jake couldn't handle a woman like Kichi. She is the lead singer of Kichi Codec after all."

"And you think you're a better choice?" Embry asked skeptically. "Is that before or after you show her the shrine you have of her in your-"

Embry's words were muffled by Quil's hand over his mouth and a very serious death threat. Kichi could only laugh at the scene as the rest of the family was starting to recognize her, even Billy recognized her, which was the most surprising. He only shrugged and said that Leah had mentioned the progress of Jacob's work when he called her to check up on Jacob. Jacob sighed and rubbed his eyes and Quil turned his attention back to Kichi.

"So there is a concert in Port Angeles then isn't there? At the new stadium? It's been sold out for weeks!"

Jacob was reminded as he reached into his coat pocket to hand over the tickets and backstage passes. Quil took them into his hands and stared blindly at them.

"Courtesy of their manager," Jacob explained before someone else was asking something of him.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Rebecca asked.

He blinked and checked his watch. He hadn't realized that he'd driven them here around dinnertime and winced a little.

"I don't want to intrude..."

Kichi rolled her eyes and Sam swatted him over the head.

"You're family, stop being stupid. Are you eating with us, Ms. Kichi?"

"Oh please, just Kichi...but yes. I'd love to stay."

"See, she's gotten with the program," Rachel, his second oldest sister said and stood up to get to the kitchen. Leah looked more distraught than not and asked Kichi to hold the baby while she averted some sort of disaster in her kitchen.

Kichi's face lit up and she recieved the duty eagerly. The little guy, David, squirmed a little and settled in her arms as she took a seat on the couch beside Jacob.

"Oh he's so cute," she she said softly. Her eyes soft and warm staring down at the bundle in her arms who looked at her with curious eyes and grabby hands. He reached towards the glowing orbs in her face and she caught his hand in her own.

"Sorry champ, you can't have those. I need them to see sort of."

He gurgled and wriggled a little and laughed causing Kichi to laugh too and tease him a little more. Jacob watched in utter amazement and confusion, his heart was tight in his chest and he felt like he was about to melt into the carpet.

"She looks good with a baby in her arms," Quil commented.

"Yeah," Jacob agreed watching the scene.

"I wonder what she'd look like with your kid in her arms..."

"She'd look amazing," Jacob said offhandedly and stopped himself before turning blushing up at Quil and Embry who were high-fiving with victorious grins. Jacob huffed as Emily came back to announce that dinner was done and Kichi was given the seat in between Quil and Embry, aside from all the questions and conversation floating around Jacob. There a million more directed at Kichi about her upcoming performance.

"What's the setlist?"

"Are you nervous?"

"What's the setlist?"

"Are you ever nervous?"

"What's the setlist?"

"Can I have your autograph?"

Okay, so there were only a few questions but she laughed anyway. The setlist was secret and she let them in on the secret that she was always petrified up until the point when the music got started.

"Really?"

"Yep," she said. "My band members are so used to it by now that they don't even bother trying to calm me down. Once I get on stage and the music starts then it's alright."

They nodded in understanding and went on to ask about all the other band members and her lie, careful to skate around the topic of the attack at her house. Before anyone realized it dinner was don, desert was done, and it was time for everyone to head home. Rose called later that night to see if she got settled okay and to let her know about the schedule for the next day. Of course Jacob was told about it as he told her to take his old bed and that the bathroom was down the hall.

"If you need anything, let me know okay?"

"Okay...what about your Dad?"

Jacob smiled and shook his head, "Get some rest, okay? You have a show to practice for tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek, "Thanks Jake, you've been awesome."

He cleared his throat and bid her goodnight before heading to check on his Dad who was pulling himself into bed. He walked in and knelt by the bed for a moment and bit his lip.

"Dad, I...I just-"

Billy placed a hand on his head and told it was okay by ruffling his hair a bit.

"Get some rest Jake, you must be tired."

He nodded and turned the light off as he left the room heading towards the couch which was tons smaller than he remembered the last time he slept on it...that or he just got bigger which was probably more likely than anything. He fell asleep in the scent of home and the knowledge that he was sleeping under the same roof as a woman who wasn't full of it. He wasn't sure why that last thought made him feel so light, but he didn't stop to contemplate or worry about it either.

Jacob woke up in stages for the first time in three years. It was usually all or nothing but not it was like a slow recollection into consciousness. First, he could hear...

"I didn't know that..."

"Yeah, good old Jake is a good kid..."

"Wow...I can see...gets...from..."

What on earth?

Then the scent of freshly fried bacon, eggs, and hash browns hit him and made him salivate which lead to the realization that he had a serious case of morning breath.

_Yuck..._

Then it was the warmth of the blanket and the pain in his back from sleeping on the tiny couch. He relished in the feeling for a moment before another peal of laughter from the two parties came through the air and he was finally conscious enough to sit up, groan at the pain, and direct his sights towards the kitchen where the voices were coming from.

"You should be careful, Ms. Kichi. I might not allow you to leave here without marrying Jake first."

She laughed at that, "I don't think your son would appreciate that."

Jacob was walking into the kitchen area by then.

"Sure he would, wouldn't you Jake! She can cook and not burn down the kitchen! From scratch..."

Jacob looked in and drowsily scrubbed his face and twisted a bit to get the kink out of his back but it wasn't working very well.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"It's just-ah... It's nothing."

"Here," she said gently placing a hand on his back and searching for the spot. "Is it here?"

He nodded with a wince and Billy watched, sipping his coffee amused as Kichi gave him a warning of a weird sensation, at which he yelped and said he felt a lot better afterwards.

"If you would have said you were sleeping on the couch, I would have told you not to be silly. I'm smaller than you it would have made more sense for me to sleep on the couch."

"Or for you two to share the bed."

"Exactly."

Jacob then wondered what kind of alternate universe he'd stumbled into and shook his head,

"Thank you... I'm going to take a shower now."

"Okay, breakfast is almost done," she told him returning to the stove dressed for the day already and flipping a pancake as he headed towards the bathroom trying to shake the feeling that his father knew how he felt about Kichi was doing his best to make her realize it too. Not that he needed any help with that as he was pretty sure that he was all types of obvious...at least for her brother but that may be because her brother was actively looking for any threat to his dear sister and Kichi wasn't quite so vigilant. He couldn't blame the girl, it was kind of tiring to always be on the look out for any sign of anyone else flirting with her. It probably happened so often that she just developed a sort of barrier to realizing it at all. He went back after a shower to join them for a fun filled breakfast before they were off to get Kichi to practice on time.

Jacob dropped her off and told her to call him when she was done. She wished him luck with hanging out with his family. Luck wasn't what he needed, what he needed was a drink. When he arrived back on the Reservation, his father insisted that he go see the elders, and their aunts, and everyone else that he hadn't seen in ages. There were at least three new children that he didn't remember, though a lot of them seemed to know who he was. The elders slapped him over the head in turn and hugged him, though not in that order and demanded to hear more about what happened.

"You've been gone so long, dear Jacob. We were afraid that you would never come back after being stolen away by that pale faced wench-"

"_Language_," Jill Wolf scolded before turning soft eyes on Jacob. "I'm sure he doesn't want to be reminded of what happened."

He sighed and admitted that it still hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as everyone seemed to think it was... or maybe it was worse and he just didn't know it. Either way, the conversation ended up drifting to "Who is that woman you've brought home with you?"

"After all this time of being with the pale face, you bring another woman home?"

He flushed, "Kichi is not my girlfriend."

They rose an eyebrow and looked in between each other. It was then he remembered that he never liked visiting the elders too much, they just knew too damn much.

"She's a client and she needed a place to stay that was safe..."

"That woman that got attacked in her apartment? Is that who you've brought home?"

He hung his head, trust the elders to be old but not out of the loop. Sometimes he wondered if they asked for his side of the story just to screw with him. He knew that Leah came home often enough to keep the entire tribe updated on him if they wanted to know, and everyone had a phone after all.

Of course they watch the news...

"Leah tells us that you have a liking for the girl, I would suggest not getting in too deep with someone who gets attacked in their apartment."

"I'll keep that in mind John, can I go now? I'm beginning to wonder if you aren't just elders but clairvoyant."

Jill rolled her eyes, "Perceptive is the word you're looking for. That and your father has already told us that he loves the girl, she can cook, and you are a little more than attracted to her. You'd better not be gone off with her as long as you were with that Bella girl. I'd still like a chance to strangle the pale faced wench."

John looked at her shocked, Jacob shook his head and the other elders scolded her, "_Language_."

He couldn't help but smile as he received their blessings and left the lodge. It was heart warming that despite his angst-ridden absence his people still loved and cared for him. A relief was probably a better word for it and it made his heart a little lighter as he walked through the Reservation getting reacquainted with the landscape. He remembered being in high school and rushing through the woods as fast as he could to reach the top of the cliffs overlooking the beach. It was quiet and peaceful and isolated. It was exactly what he needed at that time.

He climbed up onto a rock overlooking the beach with a sigh, it seemed like forever since he was back home and nothing had changed. He hoped that whoever, if he ever, decided to date again that he could bring them home and not have them freak out about the great outdoors.

_I wonder if Kichi likes the outdoors..._

He winced at the thought but lay back staring up into the dreary, cloudy sky with a deep was he in anyway? His heart tightened once more at the idea of one day arguing with her over drapes in their new home. Her stomach is swollen and she munching on a pickle in the giant overstuffed chair across the room.

_Too damn deep to breathe..._

He really hoped that he was just a domestic kind of guy rather than being in that deep.

* * *

"Alright, Kich', we're done for the day."

She pouted at her brother gazing out into the empty stadium. She wanted more time to practice.

"It's time to change your bandages, hon. And eat."

She knew she was defeated then and gave in, allowing her brother to change her bandages and give her food and medication.

"Just tea," she said. She really didn't like medication, although it was helpful it was wholly self destructing.

"Kich' you won't die from taking vicodin for a few days. You're so clean, you won't have to take that much."

"I don't like it... it doesn't taste good."

He laughed at that, "You're not supposed to chew it."

"Couldn't you get me the gummy painkillers? Advil works just fine-OW!"

He rose an eyebrow, "But aspirin works just as well right?"

She stuck out her tongue as Emmett came over with food setting up the on-stage picnic for the band with Jasper and Alice.

"So... Kichi," Emmett started mid-bite. "Have you an Jacob gotten down yet?"

Ryuki flushed and Kichi laughed, "Emmett! They are not dating!Right? Kich'?"

"Right," She replied with a sly grin. "And no, I haven't slept with Jacob."

Emmett huffed, "I could have sworn that he was going to jump you as soon as you two get alone... don't worry. As soon as you're feeling back to normal, he'll be there... probably with a saddle in hand."

Kichi laughed as Ryuki began on his tirade of his sister never dating again in life, but then Jacob and Rose were walking in and Emmett was grinning up at the two, pulling his wife down and into his lap.

"Emmett!"

"Have a seat, darling. You've been running around all day and as sexy as you are in your heels, I think you could use a break."

Rose huffed but didn't bother trying to get out of Emmett's hold. They didn't call him a teddy bear for no reason after all.

"I'm ready to go," Kichi piped up.

"Take your time," Jacob replied. "How was practice?"

"Successful and on schedule," Ryuki growled with a sly glare in Jacob's direction.

"Nii-san, stop glaring at Jacob. It's not very nice."

Ryuki growled and watched her get up from her seat and kiss his cheek before grabbing her satchel and heading out with Jacob.

"See you tomorrow guys!" She waved and followed Jacob out of the stadium towards his car.

"Why do I get the distinct feeling that your brother doesn't like me very much," Jacob asked as he opened the car door for her. She laughed.

"He doesn't like most guys that look at me, let alone those that I am friendly with..."

"I suppose you staying with me, away from him, isn't helping at all is it?"

"Not at all, but he'll be okay."

_Before or after he tries to yank my sac off like a paper towel?_

He closed the door and tried not to think about the icy cold of Ryuki's glare while Kichi was in his car with warm conversation and promises to cook dinner that night.

"It's the least I can do for letting me stay..."

"If you're not careful, my father might actually think we're dating."

She laughed, "Billy is quite the character..."

"Yeah... but he's great."

"That he is...and your sisters are a mess. I haven't laughed that hard in ages..."

He grinned at the memory of her sitting around with his sisters while he and Quil washed the dishes. It had been a little too heart warming the night before, especially with his siblings, and their spouses, giving him knowing looks of "you like her and we actually approve of her".

_This is going to be a long month..._

* * *

_He laughed, _it was just too easy. Long passages of darkness passed his window as he drove up towards Forks, Washington. She really thought that she could keep playing games with his heart this way? No, they were meant to be forever, and if it wasn't for her brother she would still be in his home, making him dinner like a good housewife. They would have been married and she would be pregnant with his kid within a few days.

_Too easy_, a beep went off on his phone and he checked the headline.

_Jacob Black and Kichi Codec collaboration..._

_Who the hell is this Jacob Black? _He wondered, she better not have been cheating on him with some Hollywood big shot. She'd better not have forgotten where she came from, who got her there, and how much she owed him. After all it was her fault that his perfect criminal record was now tainted.

He took a deep breath to calm the rising anger at a picture of Jacob and Kichi standing together, getting into a car in L.A. smiling, laughing, with her new bandages hidden beneath an off the shoulder top.

Didn't she know that she didn't have to hide it? That was his mark on her, his mark of possession, and he'd be damned if he'd be denied the pleasure of that possession.

_Don't worry my sweet Kichiyuki... we'll be back together soon enough._

He dialed slowly with a smile and heard her pick up.

"Hello, Kichi speaking."

"_Do you miss me, love?"_

Jacob heard her scream and a crash from from his bedroom and he was off the couch, rushing towards the bedroom, coming through the door prepared to beat the hell out of someone, only to see her rocking back and forth on one side of the room, her arms wrapped around her knees, trembling even though she was wearing flannel sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt.

"Kichi?" He asked coming into the room, but she wasn't hearing him, only staring at the phone that was still on the line with someone, spinning from the panicked way that she'd thrown it away from her.

He frowned and headed towards the phone, picking up the phone.

"No-please-"

"_Honey, I know you're there... I know you've missed me-"_

Jacob frowned at the obviously male voice on the line, "Who is this?"

The voice stopped its creepy sweet talk and began to speak,"_This isn't Ryuki...nor Emmett... or Jasper...so you must be... Jacob...Jacob Black?_"

"Who are you and why do you have this number?"

"_She's my wife, of course I keep track of what's mine. Keep your hands off her or you'll regret it."_

_"Don't call this number again,_" Jacob said softly. "Or you'll regret it."

He hung up the phone before the man could say anything and set the phone on the bed stand before turning to walk towards her.

"Kichi, can you hear me?"

She sniffled, hugging herself tighter and rocking, "I...I-I should g-go..."

He bit his lip at the tremor in her voice.

"I-It...isn't s-safe..."

"Honey, you're going to shock... I need you to breathe. Do you here me?"

"S-should... go... n-not... n-not safe..."

He pulled the blanket from the bed and wrapped her in it before moving closer to her. She resisted for a moment before he'd gotten her into his arms and lifted her off the floor.

"Shhh," he hushed. "You're safe here..."

"N-Not... s-safe..." she whimpered, tears streaming. "N-Nowhere... safe..."

He sat down on the bed with her in his lap and pulled them back into the bed, rubbing her back, rocking her, and keeping her close to him for body heat to fight off the cold.

"You'll be alright... you're safe. I promise..."

Her murmuring died off into whimpering... into shuddering sleeping breaths and he sighed holding her in his arms. He'd seen shock before, but never that acute, and not from something like a phone call. He didn't like what it did to her, and what her suffering did to him either. The wolf in him growled at the bastard for reducing the lovely, strong Kichi into a whimpering, trembling mess. Even the President of Fucktonia wanted to kick the man on the other end of the line in the balls and cuddle up with the woman.

_Wait... cuddle?_ No alarms went off in his head thrown by any party that wasn't himself. He didn't like it. What the hell was this woman doing to him the reason that he felt the need to cuddle with her? Her trembling pulled her from his thoughts and he could only tighten his hold on her. His heart melted. She was just so... _soft and cuddly._

"Shhh...It's alright," he promised, stroking her hair to find that it really was as soft as it looked. "It's alright..."_  
_

"P-Please... st-stay..."

"Okay," he told her, shifting a little to get more comfortable with her in his lap. "Shh...I'll stay."

What on Earth was this woman hiding? It really wasn't his place to ask... but he was really fucking curious as to who that was on the phone and why she had such a reaction to the man...More importantly... why wasn't he in jail or something?

Sun peaked through the makeshift blinds over his window, stretching long fingers to caress the sleeping pair and rouse them from sleep. Jacob woke up first to discover that sometime during the night he'd shifted to lay down with her still tucked away in his arms. He opened his eyes to see her sleeping face nestled on the muscle of his shoulder and sighing, clinging to his warmth. Damn she was addictive. They had things to do, he had phone calls to make, she had practice and somehow none of that seemed to matter. None of it had any inflection on him enjoying the warmth of her against him. It was a lot different that laying with Bella had been, she was frigid and freezing like her internal heat regulator was set to Artic... he imagined her as some kind of parasite sucking the warmth from him. He was just glad that he didn't seem to be running out of it. Kichi on the other hand seemed to generate some of her own body heat, enough that with blankets it was a little too warm with the two of them sleeping together. She seemed to need him more for psychic stability and comfort than warmth.

He felt needed, not to survive, but for improvement and that made him feel nice. He was moving to get up when her eyes shot open and her body sprang up to sit up as if she'd been hit by lightning. He'd barely stopped himself from yelping in surprise.

"Kichi...?"

She turned to look at him, looking in a sliht confusion and relaxed at little, smiling sleepily at him, "Jacob...did you stay here all night?"

"I uh... fell asleep... you've got quite the grip."

She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face and over a shoulder with a wry chuckle, "Yeah... doesn't feel like it... but thank you. It's warm..."

"Yeah," he agreed. Warm wasn't quite the word he thought of but he supposed it worked.

But before he could explore that thought further, she was crawling over him and stretching towards the ceiling before practically skipping out of the room and towards the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for the day. He was amazed at how much of a morning person she seemed to be.

"I didn't take you for a morning person."

She wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, "I'm not. I don't waking up early."

"Could have fooled me..."

She smiled, "I like what I can do in the morning: shower... and eat... and sing!"

With that she fluttered out of the room with some clothing in a whirl of laughter. He shook his head and stretched. He felt rested, much more rested than her'd been feeling for a while... If he thought about it, he'd realize that he felt better than he had since meeting Bella, but he didn't think about it, instead he stood and shuffled towards the closet where he put his suitcase and pulled clothes out. By the time he'd made his selections, he could hear his father rolling down the hall and Kichi's morning musical voice.

"You're a morning person..."

"Not really, but I am a clean person now!"

Billy laughed continuing to roll towards the kitchen. He leaned out the door to see her following him with a towel around her head dancing something extremely silly singing something that he was sure wasn't in English. Billy laughed and he couldn't help but wonder how she had the ability to be so happy after the night before. He wondered if she was really that happy or just having a reaction formation to the terror that gripped her the night before.

_Is reaction formation even the right term for that? _He didn't bother to search for the right word, instead he headed into the bathroom and showered in time to get to the dining room to see his father swallowing a mouthful of pancakes. Kichi was on her cellphone looking slightly put out.

"What's the matter?"

"Looks like Rose cancelled afternoon practice, said something about me getting rest or some nonsense before the concert tonight." She huffed and he never though she was more adorable than in that moment.

"She's right, you should take a break before the concert."

She pouted and looked out the window, "You won't tell Rose if I go exploring will you?"

Jake frowned and Billy said nothing.

"Exploring?"

"Yes... it's been forever since I've wandered around in the woods... I heard water, we're by the shore aren't we? There's a beach isn't there? Are there cliffs? Can we go diving?"

Billy snickered a little at his son's expression. He looked beyond amazed and excited at the prospect.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. I promise I'll take a nap before we have to leave. All I'm asking for is a few hours..."

He sighed, the girl was magical. He promised her until noon at which point they would eat and she would take a nap. She only smiled and squealed in joy, rushing to change into something exploring worthy, something she could dive in. Jacob avoided looking at his father for reasons he didn't understand. They finished breakfast and were off to explore. She had a knack for climbing trees quickly and in complete silence. They talked about their childhoods. The endless days spent running through the forest, along the beach, diving, plummeting into an icy abyss and hearing the wind rush around you. When they reached the cliffs, she screamed a greeting to the surface and went running and cheering over the edge before he could stop her. She swam to shore not to far and waved to him from there. He dived in after and into the cold finding that the instinct hadn't changed. He cut through the surf and swam towards the beach where she was laid out in the sun.

"Wish you would have given me some warning..."

"Warning is for suckers," she said, humming in delight in the warmth of the sun. Cherry black hair in wet spirals and waves around her head. She looked amazing if he had anything to say about it. He sunk down beside her to lay out before checking his waterproof watch.

"It's almost noon," he said, in wonder. He could have sworn that only a few moments ago it was around nine in the morning.

"Damn," she cursed. "Not fair..."

He laughed, "I'll give you till noon-fifteen."

"What a generous task master..."

He smirked at the term. He liked that more than he realized. He liked that a lot and he really wasn't sure why he liked it so much, but he did...Noon-fifteen turned into noon-thirty at which point they were back at the house and showering. He'd gotten her to sleep by one and without much fuss once her head hit the pillow. He could only laugh at her childlike ability to sleep immediately with a content smile on her face. He decided that a nap was in order as well and woke up around four to make something like dinner. He woke her up at five and they left the house by six to get to the stadium on time.

When the concert started, Jacob hadn't been aware of what to expect with a wide range of people crowding into the concert hall, pushing, cheering and murmuring. The music started up, the cheering got louder and for the first time Jacob got to see her as herself in her entirety as she appeared on stage, springing up from beneath the stage and ran head first with her guitar across her back. Ryuki was on the guitar, jamming out some complicated melody. It was a cover song he was sure as Kichi started singing into her mike bouncing around on stage in something he was sure wasn't English.

"God Bless..." It was Kichi's turn to take over the complicated guitar solo with Ryuki backing her up.

She looked so happy running around on stage, greeting fans, shaking hands, screaming into the tiny microphone wrapped around her head. The songs went on for most of the night and Jacob hadn't even noticed how entranced he'd been when it ended and there was confetti coming down as rain. She was whirling around, belting out notes with her mike in hand, her guitar back on her back as she jammed out, leading the crowd into their jumping frenzy. Jacob could admit that she had a stage personality hard to beat. She was energetic, but in that way that made it seem naturally. Happy, talented, and unstoppable on stage ranging from too sexy to overly adorable. He'd never seen anyone jam that hard on a guitar solo or come back stage that sweaty. She cheered at the success of the first night, whirling around and collapsing in a heap on the floor, breathing deeply and out of breath. Ryuki laughed.

"No one told you to run around."

"I can't help it~" She whined. "It's so much fun!"

Jacob only nodded as his cousins appeared to greet them and look worried at her spread out on the floor until she rolled up onto her feet in a smooth motion, hair tousled and looking like she'd just come from a very thorough quickie. Her voice sounded bubbly, happy, but something deep and soft and enchanting. When he drove them back to his house on the reservation she was fast asleep in the passenger's seat, freshly showered and comfy in her loose sweatpants. It was around one in the morning when they arrived and crept into the old house. Jacob carried her to the bedroom and lay her down gently, tucking her in before retiring to the couch. His heart still fluttered with the image of her swinging her hips, dancing and running around on stage. It made him want to keep her with him despite all of his smarter inclinations.


End file.
